


Hopper's Cabin

by cursedlesbian



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Billy Hargrove & Eleven | Jane Hopper Friendship, Billy Hargrove Lives, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Billy cries a lot, Child Abuse, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Jim "Chief" Hopper Parent-Child Relationship, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Fix-It, Gen, Good Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, Hopper is trying his best, Hurt Billy Hargrove, Hurt/Comfort, Jim "Chief" Hopper Lives, Parental Jim "Chief" Hopper, Post-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 03:37:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20167519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cursedlesbian/pseuds/cursedlesbian
Summary: "Screaming.Punching.Shoving.¿Blood? Blood.“Don’t come back to my house, don’t come back to my house ever again.”A suitcase that he had prepared a long time ago, because he knew that the conclusion was going to be this one, that he was going to have to escape, that he was going to be left to his own devices, it was just a matter of time.And the time had come."Billy Hargrove manages to leave his abusive household in an inconvenient way and finds shelter in Hopper's Cabin, Jim Hopper is not very happy about it.





	Hopper's Cabin

Screaming.

Punching.

Shoving.

_¿Blood?_ Blood.

“Don’t come back to my house, don’t come back to my house ever again.

A suitcase that he had prepared a long time ago, because he knew that the conclusion was going to be this one, that he was going to have to escape, that he was going to be left to his own devices, it was just a matter of time.

And the time had come.

He was in his car, driving with tear-filled eyes and a face full of blood, his ears were ringing and everything was hurting. He had not even recovered from being possessed by a weird monster in a situation he still didn’t fully understand and now he already had more pain to stack on his own private suffering pile. He was strong, but oh god, he didn’t knew if he would be able to take more.

He had no idea where he was going, driving aimlessly, it was dark and it was dangerous -especially considering the situation in which he had previously found himself- but he already knew that, either way, it wasn’t like he had anywhere to go, he was alone, he was all alone.  
He arrived to a pay phone and braked, but instead of getting out of the car, he stayed inside, _“there has to be someone I can call,” _ he thought,_ “I can’t be this fucking alone, there has to be someone”_ He had trouble remembering and the pain didn’t help him concentrate. Long, painful minutes went by until he felt a light in his brain lighting up, maybe he was having a concussion, but it wasn’t important anyway, he had finally managed to think of someone; _Her_, a friend of Max, _El?_ yes, El, that was her name. Daughter of the Chief of the police, she saved him from the horrible monster that tormented him a few months. The girl had given him her phone number a few days after the battle at the mall, while he was lying on a hospital bed, barely breathing.

“For emergencies,” That was the only thing she said

This looked like an emergency.

Billy got out of the car, tense, his past experience with a pay telephone during the night hadn’t been a pleasant experience. He went into the cabin and inserted the coins, he pulled a small piece of paper out of his jean jacket pocket and dialed the number, he was scared and tired, it was his last opportunity to have a roof over his head, at least for that night.  
He waited a few seconds that felt like minutes until he heard the voice of the girl on the other side of the line. He squeezed the phone on his hand.

“I need a place to stay for the night.”

**\-----------------------------------------------------**

“I’m just saying El, it’s a bad idea.”

Hopper hadn’t had much of a saying in accepting the boy into his home, a boy who, it was worth remembering, had tried to kill his daughter, possessed or not he was a danger to Eleven (and, on Hoppers opinion, a danger to society). His daughter hadn’t even explained why the boy needed shelter.

“Leaving him alone in the street is a worse idea.”

Replied the girl that was looking at the window impatiently, waiting for the car to arrive.

“You are not considering the possibility that the mind flayer might still be here, maybe it’s still on him, maybe this is his plan, getting into our house and attacking you during the night, it’s dangerous,” said the man while he opened the fridge for a can of beer.

“We closed the gate, Billy is safe.”

“Honey, you know what happened last time we closed the gate,” Eleven turned her head to look at him “The possibility is still there and we can’t risk it,” he took a sip of his beer.

“¿And what if the mind flayer is still here but without a host?” she asked, looking him in the eyes “If I let Billy alone on the streets during the night it could catch him again,” She turned around to look at the window again “It’s not okay, friends don’t abandon each other,” she whispered. 

Hopper knew her intentions were pure, that she only wanted to help someone that needed it but it still bothered him that she was so innocent, that she didn’t understand the danger she was putting herself into.

He took another sip, looking at the minor. He felt like yelling at her, he wanted to tell her that letting that criminal into the house was dangerous, that he was not going to allow it, but he decided to keep quiet because he knew that yelling now would be useless, he had learned something in the last few months; being strict was not always the best option. Besides, the boy was already on his way, he would just have to watch him, make sure that he wasn’t going to do anything, _“and if he tries anything, I can shoot him,”_ he thought before taking the last sip of his can, then he crushed it and threw it aside.

They spent a couple of minutes in silence until they heard the engine of a car and saw the lights approaching.

“He’s here,” his daughter’s tone of voice sounded enthusiastic, but not completely, it was like enthusiasm mixed with tension, with anxiety. Hopper, on the other hand, only felt the anxiety, without a shred of enthusiasm.

Two minutes passed until they heard a knock on the door, Eleven walked away from the window and approached the entrance with the intention of opening the door, but her father stopped her and with a gesture of the head told her to move away. Eleven grumbled but obeyed, Hopper opened the door.

Blood, that was the first thing he noticed, blood in the nose area and in his white shirt, in addition, he had swollen eyes and around one of them there was a dark purple that scattered throughout the area unevenly. He was grabbing a suitcase with one hand; his hair was a mess and he seemed tired. Hopper couldn’t help but feel some pity for him.

The silence was awkward, uncomfortable, neither of them moved or had the intention of speaking. It was the teenager who spoke first.  
“Hello sir,” His voice sounded weak “Thank you for letting me spend the night here” He extended his hand and Jim hesitated for a few seconds before shaking it cautiously, was this really Billy Hargrove? The same Billy Hargrove who so many times ended up in the police station for god knows that crime? (Hopper had never paid too much attention to it, he had much more important things to take care of than the rebelliousness of a teenager who wasn’t being cared for at home) Something was wrong, Hopper could feel it.

The man moved from the door, letting him into the cabin. Eleven greeted the boy with one hand and in response he smiled at her, nodding his head in a friendly manner.

“You should take a shower,” Hopper looked at him and then pointed to the bathroom “You could clean yourself and change your clothes.”  
Billy nodded as he entered the bathroom with his suitcase. When he closed the door, El looked at his dad and smiled at him, maybe in an attempt to calm him down, like trying to say “See? Billy is not a bad person, I told you,” the man just looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, he still didn’t trust the boy and couldn’t let his guard down, it was going to be a long night.

**\-----------------------------------------------------**

Nothing strange had happened yet, Billy had been quiet, he hadn’t moved much which might have looked suspicious but he hadn’t tried anything weird either. Hopper had kept an eye on him and Billy had barely had a short conversation with Eleven about meaningless stuff. Now the boy was resting on the couch while the chief tried to sleep on his own bed, still paranoid about the situation. Although he knew that staying awake was going to be counterproductive, he couldn’t fall asleep, too scared that something would happen while he was sleeping, he couldn’t afford to risk it.

Silence.

Long silence.

And then crying.

Muffled crying.

He heard it immediately.

He jumped out of bed and grabbed the gun he always kept close by; he knew this was going to happen. All the worst scenarios went through his mind, he regretted having trusted so much, he regretted having put so much faith on his daughter’s idea, it had been stupid and now he had to pay the consequences.

He drew the curtain from his room, clutching the gun tightly, waiting for the worst.

But there was Billy Hargrove curled up in a corner of the couch, squeezing a pillow on his face as a way of disguising the crying. Hopper lowered the gun and left it carefully on the desk, without taking his eyes off the crying boy. It took only a few seconds until Billy lifted his head to meet the older man’s gaze, tears were still strolling through his face and they continued falling over until he realized what was happening and quickly ran his hand over his face to dry them.

“What’s wrong?” asked Hopper, confused by the situation.

“Nothing,” the boy answered quickly, as he pressed hard on the pillow, ashamed.

“What’s wrong?” he repeated.

“I said nothing.”

“You are crying,” he approached him slowly” What’s wrong?”

“I SAID NOTHING, LEAVE ME ALONE,” Billy screamed, throwing the pillow to the side. Hopper stood still for a thousandth of a second before approaching more aggressively than before.

“HEY, HEY, HEY,” he had raised his voice “DON’T YELL AT ME,” he could notice how the boy was paralyzed with his blue eyes big and frightened, he then huddled even more in the corner of the couch, Hopper sighed, he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere if he kept yelling at him.

He sat next to him, but making sure to keep a reasonable distance, he wasn’t good at sentimental stuff and he knew it, but he couldn’t just ignore the situation, pretend that nothing was happening and going back to sleep, the boy was suffering and although he didn’t completely trusted him he had to at least try to help him.

“Hey kid… I want you to know that…” Billy looked at him. Hopper swallowed as he rubbed his hands anxiously, he had spent so long avoiding a conversation of this kind with his own daughter and now he had to have it with a teen that he barely knew. “I need you to know that you can tell me what’s wrong,” the words came out of his mouth in a clumsy way _“Jesus Christ Hopper, you are the adult on this fucking situation, you should know how to handle it”_ He thought “I’m not going to judge you, you are safe here,” he place his hand on the boys knee, trying to show him that it was okay, that he was on a safe place.

Hargrove sighed heavily and for a little while he remained quiet, tense and although he was no longer crying it seemed that at any moment he was going to break down.

“I’m scared,” he said finally, whispering loud enough so that the man at his side could hear him, but shamefully, burying his head on his knees.

“Of what?” Asked Hopper gently.

“Of… everything,” his voice was trembling “I’m afraid of everything. I’m scared because I was possessed by a fucking weird creature, because I did horrible things,” he started crying again “Horrible things that I can’t forget about and now I’m scared, scared of being trapped again and going back to that nightmare that I can’t escape,” he dried his tears the way he could, he was agitated, Hopper let him keep talking.

“And now I’m alone, I don’t have place to go, I don’t have a home anymore and I have no way of earning money because I can’t go back to my job, I can’t go back because I think of Heather,” his voice completely broke when he said the girls name “and…and Max, Max is at home, with my dad,” he was shaking “Max is home alone with that fucking man and I can’t protect her, I left her in that shitty house and I’m afraid he will dare lay a finger on her.”

Hopper looked at him sympathetically and then put his own hand on the boy’s shoulder. He knew something was wrong, but he didn’t know EVERYTHING was wrong, he really felt sorry for him and began to understand the situation, he had escaped or had been kicked out, it didn’t matter, the end result was the same either way, fear and panic were still there anyways.

“Hey, look at me,” Billy lifted his head, looking at him “Everything is going to be okay,” he used a soft voice, which he had never used for anyone other than his daughter “Maybe it’s not okay now, but everything is going to be okay eventually. The... monster is not here anymore, it can’t do anything to you, you are safe Billy,” the boy closed his eyes and sighed slowly, without saying anything.

Hopper continued talking “and Max, Max is going to be okay,” Billy opened his eyes when he heard his sister’s name “I’m not going to let your father do anything to her, at the slightest sign that something is going on I’m going to intervene, she’s going to be safe. Okay?”

Billy nodded as he brought his arm closer to wipe his tears again. “Thank you,” he whispered low as he tried to keep his breath calm.

“Do you want a glass of water?”

“Yes, please.”

Hopper approached the kitchen and poured a glass, then gave it to the boy who grabbed it carefully and started drinking. He was a little calmer, his breathing was more normal, he no longer trembled or cried. Hopper was glad that he had been able to help and he felt a little proud of himself, maybe he was a better father than he thought.

“Oh and kid,” Billy looked up as he drank from his glass “You don’t have to leave tomorrow,” the boy raised an eyebrow with confusion “You can stay here for as long as you want, days, months, years, as far as I’m concerned this cabin is your new home,” he could tell that Billy was slightly smiling “I don’t think El will mind that you stay,” they laughed, Billy could notice how the pressure in his shoulders disappeared and how the position of his body became more natural and relaxed, it was still a bad situation but he had never felt so … free.

When he finished his water, Billy looked at Hopper “Don’t you have anything more… strong?” he asked making a gest with his head, pointing at the glass while raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t try it kid,” Hopper looked at him seriously and snatched the glass from his hands to throw it on the sink.

“Okay, okay,” Billy lifted his hands while laughing, Hopper looked at him and smiled.  
“It’s really late,” said the man as he approached the curtains that worked as a door for his room “You should go back to sleep, if you need me, I will be here,” Billy nodded as he settled on the couch. Hopper was entering his room when Billy cleared his throat to stop him.

“Sir…”

“Hopper,” he didn’t want him to feel obligated to address him in such a formal way.

“Hopper…” he corrected himself “Thanks… for everything.”

“It’s nothing kid,” Hopper smiled at him and then went into his room.

Billy looked at the ceiling and sighed with relief, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Yes, everything in his life was still broken, everything still hurt, that part wasn’t gone, but finally it seemed like things were beginning to fall into where they actually belonged, it was as if life was starting to make sense, for the first time in forever he felt like he was able to be in control of the situation without resorting to violence. For an instant he felt glad that he had been kicked out of his house because it meant a new beginning, one where perhaps he would no longer have to suffer as he did before, where he could finally have what he had always wanted, a home that didn’t felt like hell, someone that took care of him and didn’t treat him like shit, a place where he could feel like himself, where he felt protected, where he wasn’t afraid and alone.

A family that wasn’t broken.

**Author's Note:**

> So... I'm very nervous about posting this, this is the first time in my life that I write fanfiction and I know my writing skills aren't very good but I hope at least one person has enjoyed reading this cause tbh i had a lot of fun writing it.  
Maybe i will write some more stuff about Billy and stranger things in general cause its something that i really enjoy rn.
> 
> If anyone wants to leave a comment telling me how to improve some stuff (or compliments, i love compliments) i would appreaciate it.  
If actually read that thanks! Im not expecting a lot of people to read it.  
Also! Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, English is not my first language.


End file.
